About Zach
On December 20, 2002, as our 15 year old son, Zach, arrived at Myers Park High School, he experienced such terrible pain in his abdomen that he had to call home for help. Our pediatrician immediately referred Zach to a pediatric urologist who performed a biopsy that night. Two days later, Zach got the diagnosis of Rhabdomyosacroma, a rare aggressive, adolescent cancer affecting only 250 children per year in the USA.
After 42 weeks of chemotherapy in addition to 7 weeks of radiation, his doctor declared that the cancer had been eradicated, and Zach was in remission. For the next five months, Zach regained his health, reflected on his experiences over the previous year, and experienced a feeling of comfort thinking about his life in terms of the future again.
Four months later, a scan revealed that the cancer had spread into Zach’s lungs. The doctors informed us that our only options for treatment were experimental. Successful treatment would now be measured in terms of slowing the growth of the tumors rather than achieving remission.
After this devastating news, Zach, now 16, made a decision to try the experimental drugs. He announced, “We are going to live like there is no tomorrow and pray every day that there will be one more. I don’t want to have any regrets.”
Strengthened by his strong faith and support from family and friends, Zach spent his final year living life to the fullest. He swam with the dolphins in the Bahamas, won a large sum of money at the blackjack tables in Vegas, had a cross with the word “Reborn” tattooed close to his heart, and cheered at every Panther home game.
One afternoon in late February 2003, Zach was sitting on our back porch enjoying the warm sun and crisp air. His father chose this peaceful moment to inform Zach that our family would like to honor him by donating money to have a room named for him in the clinic where he was treated. True to form, Zach looked up and said, “That is a really dumb idea. Having my name on a room doesn’t help anyone.” At this point, his dad, Jim, informed Zach that it was up to him to tell us how he would like us to honor him.
The next day, Zach said with his typical humility, “I have been fortunate to have had this year filled with so much support and joy. Most kids are not as lucky as I am. I want to help them financially, so they too can enjoy time with family and friends.
With the money in his savings account, Zach started the Zach Ramsey Children’s Cancer Fund. He then asked his parents to honor his life by continuing to raise funds for families experiencing financial difficulty, the families he saw every day at Blume Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic. A few weeks later, Zach died at age 17 having “no regrets.”
